Friday, 24th April was a scorcher for our monthly habitat management session! Despite the heat, our 15 volunteers — regulars and newcomers alike — did a fantastic job.
We were especially pleased to welcome a corporate volunteer from Manchester Central, the Manchester events company, who joined us for the day. It’s brilliant when local organisations get involved in looking after local green spaces.
Tom from Cheshire Wildlife Trust guided us through two main tasks, both in the sandpit — the heart of the reserve where gorse and heather grow together.
Clearing charred gorse
Our first job was to clear the burnt gorse at the sandpit’s edge after last summer’s fire, opening the ground for new growth.
Removing live gorse from the heather bed
Our second task was to remove living gorse from the heather bed in the middle of the sandpit. This is important because gorse grows more vigorously than heather and will eventually crowd it out — and it’s the heather that makes this reserve so special as one of Cheshire’s rare lowland heaths. Where we could, we dug the gorse out, roots and all, which was tough work: those tap roots go surprisingly deep into the sandy ground!
Taking well-earned breaks
Because it was so hot, we made sure to take regular breaks — and enjoyed chatting. Spending time outdoors with a friendly group on a spring day is rewarding, even when the work is tough.
Thank you
A huge thank you to the volunteers for their time and effort under demanding conditions. Your hard work really does make a difference to this special place. Thank you also to Tom and Cheshire Wildlife Trust for leading the session so expertly, and to Manchester Central for generously allowing one of their employees to spend the day with us.
Join us next time!
We hold habitat management sessions every month, and everyone is welcome — no experience needed. Our next session is on Friday, 29th May. Sign up using the link below:
We’d love to see you!
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